Presence
by twinklingstar95
Summary: Just being there is enough. CloTi.


**A/N: **Thank you for the reviews on **Alpha Omega; **cybercorpsesnake, sunflowerspot, Kohyru (sorry for the confusion! I actually wrote another username before the bracket but FFn kept on deleting it ;_;), and SapphyreMyst (I understand what you mean; I also thought the same way as I wrote the story, but I was just in a rush. Lesson learned! Although I kinda repeat the same mistake here...)

**Warning: **This story is a complete pointless fluff, I'm not kidding XD So please forgive me if it's bad m(_ _)m

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Final Fantasy VII.

Enjoy! ^^

* * *

Some people in this world happen to have too high dignity to surrender. Tifa Lockheart had never been this type of person, but when it came to her job, there was no stopping in her dictionary. Mostly she didn't even recognize that she'd been standing and walking around for twelve hours without break (she came to realize it just when she actually laid down and her hip hurt).

She said it didn't bother her, since she was practically strong enough to do it. But that didn't mean the people witnessing it would agree with her. Cloud had God-knows-how-many-times reminded her to take some times off, her friends tried to, Marlene and Denzel did as well, even her regular costumers questioned her if she was actually a machine. The martial artist was just too rock-headed and all she said for an answer was always, "I am responsible for this."

"Well yes, you are. But that doesn't mean you gotta work days and nights, girl! Those customers could handle a day or two without this bar!" Barret once replied gruffly. The barmaid just smiled.

Today was one of the days where Cloud just felt like dragging her upstairs and give her some sleeping pills. It was freaking Tuesday and there would be not many customers around, yet Tifa still stubbornly decided to open Seventh Heaven.

She walked down the stair, clad in casual clothes and started arranging things in order. She glanced up at the clock; there was still an hour left before she should open.

Her living companion who was currently busy with his own work looked up and grimaced. Tifa looked unhealthy. She was pale, thin, her eyes were bloodshot, and the cheerfulness seemed to have faded away.

Cloud sighed and stood up from his spot. "Teef," he mumbled as he leaned on the bar counter, propped on his elbows.

"Hm?" she didn't even look at him.

"You should rest. Leave the bar today."

It was Tifa's turn to sigh. "How many times should I tell you—"

"Well, how many times have I told you, Tifa?"

This was getting on his nerve. His usually calm self just couldn't take the sight of this woman hurting herself anymore.

"You just don't want to listen to any of us, do you?" he snapped, though his voice was still filled with the usual gentleness.

Tifa dropped a glass to the table, practically slamming it down. "I'm not doing this for myself, Cloud. You of all people should know that, don't you think?" she narrowed her eyes, a frown visible on her face.

_Great, now we're quarreling,_ he thought.

"Does hurting yourself make anyone happy? You of all people should know that! You're not doing this for anyone else, it's merely your selfishness, isn't it?"

Then it fell silent. Like, really silent. Even the clock chose this moment to stop ticking due to empty battery, and the workers in front of the bar decided to turn off their loud machine right on that moment.

The words came back to him and he cursed himself for being beyond idiot. A surge of panic washed over his chest as he saw Tifa throwing away a cloth raggedly and prepared to leave. She felt no point in prolonging this argument.

"Wait, Tifa...!" he stood up and followed her figure that was storming upstairs. He caught her wrist just as she lied her foot onto the first step. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way." he said carefully.

Tifa stood still, her back facing him. Cloud expected her to start giving a long lecture which he promised himself he'd listen to, but no, the barmaid just stood still.

"Tifa? Are you okay?"

He turned her around to face him, and his eyebrows furrowed even more when he noticed a painful grimace on her face. He soon became worried.

"Tifa, you don't look so good." he said.

Tifa felt her world spun in a dizzying manner. All she could register to her mind was Cloud's concerned voice, but she wasn't able to comprehend what he was saying. She felt a firm shoulder against her forehead and then everything blacked out.

* * *

The moment she opened her eyes, she knew everything went wrong. Her whole body ached, her head was pounding, her stomach lurched, both of her eyes felt hot, and the worst part was that she could barely move.

She managed to let out a soft groan almost inaudibly and took a glance over the room. It wasn't hers, it was Cloud's. Well, she figured it was the closest room. The next thing she recognized was the darkness surrounding her. How long had she passed out? It was only eight in the morning when she went downstairs.

Tifa stirred, causing her to groan again since doing so made her muscles protested. She noticed a damp cloth was placed on her forehead and sighed heavily, closing her eyes. She then heard a faint voice and the door was opened as Cloud walked in, a phone on his ear.

"Sorry I haven't informed you earlier. Yeah, it's pretty bad, she almost reaches a hundred degrees. No, it's okay, you can take them home, Barret. Maybe she needed their companions. I could always tell them to not disturb her if she says so, anyway."

Tifa opened her eyes slowly, but catching no sight of the swordsman. She guessed he was standing by the window right now, just like how he always did when receiving a call.

"I got a doctor to check her up a few hours ago; she said it was just really bad exhaustion. A lot of rest and some medicine is all she needs." he continued speaking through the phone. He hadn't noticed that Tifa was awake until he heard a ruffle of blanket and hurried footsteps. When he looked back to where his bed was located, she was gone and he heard the bathroom door opened a little bit violently.

"Uh, Barret?" he cut off the other man's words. "I'll call you again, alright? Tifa's throwing up, she needs me. Yeah, I will. See you later." he walked away from his spot, threw his phone onto his desk, and rushed to the bathroom.

"Tifa?" he called as he entered.

The poor lady was currently sitting on cold tiles, and arm over the closet and her forehead was pressed against her forearm. He approached her and patted her back, just to reassure her that he was there. "Hold on, I'll get you some water."

She was still in the same position when he came back a few minutes later, a glass of water in his hand. He handed it to her and helped her drink, although her stomach couldn't really accept much.

"Can you stand?" he asked, putting the glass away.

Tifa shook her head weakly, and Cloud grimaced at how pale she looked, even in the darkness of the room. He gently slid an arm behind her, supporting her back, as his other slipped beneath her knees. He carried her easily back to his bedroom.

"I'm sorry about earlier, Teef." Cloud said as he sat cross-legged on the side of the bed, his arms folded on top of it. They were only inches apart since Tifa opted to lie on her side, facing Cloud. "I should've considered your condition." he added guiltily.

Amidst her serious illness, Tifa managed a smile and shook her head, but she couldn't bring herself to speak even though she wanted to apologize to him just as much.

Cloud replied the smile, knowing he was forgiven. "Go back to sleep," he said.

He stayed there as Tifa closed her eyes, but that didn't mean the nightmare was over. She felt completely uncomfortable, unintended whines escaped her lips once in a while.

Cloud reached out his hand and stroked her silk-smooth hair softly when another whimper emitted. "Sshhh... It's okay, Teef. You'll be alright." he didn't stop when her sobs ceased, and the continuous action finally put her to slumber after two long hours of fighting.

Cloud stared at her sleeping form and he felt bad for her. Tifa wasn't the type that complains when suffering, so hearing those held back whimpers shot bullets to his gut, she must've really been in pain. He sighed, pressing the side of his face onto the mattress, staring at her. What was he going to do without her?

"Please get well soon…," he mumbled before he succumbed to sleep as well.

* * *

The sound of light footsteps woke her up, her eyes opening slowly, taking in the brightness of her surroundings. She felt better, although her limbs still felt weak.

"Stay quiet, alright? Tifa needs her rest." Cloud's voice was muffled behind the wooden door. She then heard faint responses from undoubtedly Marlene and Denzel who she figured had returned home.

A few seconds later, the door opened, revealing Cloud still clad in his casual comfortable shirt and pants. His eyes got wider when he spotted her awake and hurriedly came over to sit beside her.

"Good morning." he greeted, his smile tainted with concern. He opened his mouth to say something else, but stopped to grab a glass of water with a straw in it. He helped her drink as he spoke up, "How're you feeling?"

Tifa cleared her throat, "Better," she said, relishing the feeling of talking once more. She lied back down and lightly huffed, then she stared into his blue eyes. "What happened to me exactly, Cloud?"

It was Cloud's turn to sigh. He put away the glass as he started talking. "You are exhausted." he emphasized the last word, not intending to nudge her guilt but he did anyway. "The doctor who came to check you said that your heartbeats aren't rapid enough, you have low blood pressure, and she also stated something about poor blood circulation. And this thing over here," he reached out his hand and gently lifted her right one, revealing a blue-colored bruise on the inside of her arm. "Is a very obvious evidence that you are suffering from extreme exhaustion."

He continued when she didn't show any hints of responding. "Look, I still feel sorry for what I did to you—"

"You didn't do anything bad to me, Cloud."

"—but I still mean what I said yesterday. Not the selfish part, I just...," he growled lowly and scratched the back of his head in frustration.

Tifa gave a smile at that. She knew Cloud had always had trouble with words. "It's okay, Cloud, I understand."

He looked at her miserably. "How come it's always you who understand me? Why can't it be the other way around? I... I want to understand you too, Tifa." he poured out. "Why are you doing this?"

She remained silent for a while, thinking of the right words to say. "You know, you're not completely wrong, Cloud. I mean it when I said I'm doing this for my family, but... I guess I am selfish." she shifted, lying on her side as she clawed at the end of the blanket thrown over her warm body. "I hate feeling useless. I hate just sitting around doing nothing, so... There I was, fulfilling my own insecurity."

Tifa's eyes met Cloud's. "That means you subconsciously understand me. You might just not, or haven't, realized it." her thought flew back to how he stayed with her until she fell asleep. She smiled at him. "Thank you, Cloud."

The swordsman felt his cheeks got warmer 'till he was sure anybody could mistaken him as the sick one. He hesitantly, clumsily, took her hand and gave it a light squeeze.

Through his embarrassment, he said, "You've never been useless, Teef. Not once, and will never be." stuttering, he added as he looked away, his eyes locked on the floor beneath his feet. "Just being there is enough." he said in barely a whisper.

Tifa wanted to laugh at his clumsiness, but she still had no strength to do so.

Cloud dropped his glance at her again. "I'll get you breakfast." he stated as he got up and left.

The lack of his presence had always made her a little bit claustrophobic, but the thought of him coming back for her kept her at bay. The silence gave her some times to think about the past two days.

_"Maybe he was right. This is my family, isn't it? I learn the hard way that sacrificing oneself won't really give the happiness for others. Yes, Aerith, Zack, and many countless souls saved us by sacrificing themselves, but it would've been better if they're still alive. So maybe my family expects me to be with them always, maybe just being there with them is enough."_

As Marlene and Denzel entered the room carefully, Tifa gathered her strength to sit up and smiled the brightest smile in weeks. "What are you guys waiting for? Cheer me up so I can play with you again!"

Both kids grinned from ear to ear and started telling her stories, with Cloud smiling at his little family.

* * *

**A/N: **There, pointless, isn't it? XD


End file.
